The 2025 bowl season is in full swing, and ESPN’s college football experts are here to highlight the best performances.
We’ll pick MVPs from each of the 36 bowl games from Dec. 13 to Jan. 2. These are our experts’ picks and won’t necessarily align with the official bowl MVP.
Check back after each game for the latest top performances from bowl season.
JLab Birmingham Bowl: Georgia Southern 29, Appalachian State 10
MVP: RB OJ Arnold
After a back-and-forth first half defined primarily by App State turnovers, Georgia Southern seized control in the third quarter. The Eagles scored a pair of touchdowns to go up 26-7 and eventually won 29-10, and it started with a 58-yard run from Arnold. He gained 163 yards from scrimmage — his fifth game with at least 130 — and in the first-ever bowl matchup in the Deeper Than Hate rivalry, the Eagles put things away with the smallest amount of drama possible. You could give co-MVP status to Eagles defender Dorrian Smith: App State quarterbacks threw four interceptions in Georgia Southern territory, and he reeled in two of them. — Bill Connelly
MVP: QB Conner Weigman
After falling behind to LSU 14-0 to start the game, Houston responded emphatically in a 38-35 win. A lot of that had to do with the play of Weigman, who finished 27-of-36 with 236 yards passing and 4 touchdown passes. He also added 56 yards rushing on 13 carries. Three of Weigman’s touchdown passes came in the first half, as the Cougars roared back to lead at the half. His favorite target was Tanner Koziol, who made nine catches for 76 yards and a score, while Amare Thomas had two touchdown catches. — Kyle Bonagura
MVP: QB Chandler Morris
Virginia quarterback Morris didn’t deliver eye-popping numbers, nor did the Cavaliers’ offense leave much of an impression, but in key moments, Morris delivered. He finished 25-of-38 for 198 yards, but was 10-of-10 on third downs, as Virginia erased a halftime deficit to win 13-7. At his fourth school in his career, Morris helped Virginia to a school-record 11 wins this season and an appearance in the ACC title game. After allowing a touchdown on the first drive of the game, Virginia’s defense smothered Missouri the rest of the way. — Bonagura
MVP: RB Caleb Hawkins
In a high-scoring affair that featured a combined 1,150 total yards of offense, Hawkins and the Mean Green run game got the job done and secured the first 12-win season in program history. Hawkins rushed for 198 yards and accounted for three touchdowns, Ashton Gray chipped in 152 yards and two more scores, and the No. 1 scoring offense in college football lit up a top-five scoring defense for 618 total yards, with a season-high 368 yards on the ground. Hawkins, the American Conference Rookie of the Year, finished his true freshman season with 1,804 yards from scrimmage and a school-record 29 touchdowns. — Max Olson
MVP: WR Josiah Freeman
In his Fresno State finale, the senior wideout sparked the Bulldogs’ offense with a career-high 143 receiving yards on seven catches. Freeman delivered his first 100-yard performance in his three seasons with the program and did most of his damage on explosive 47- and 51-yard plays, outrunning the RedHawks for 109 yards after the catch. His quarterback, E.J. Warner, hit 16 of 23 passes for 214 yards in a game that the Bulldogs’ offense dominated in time of possession. First-year coach Matt Entz got this program back to its winning standard with its fourth season of nine-plus wins in the past five years. — Olson
MVP: QB Bear Bachmeier
Freshman Bachmeier outdueled Georgia Tech’s Haynes King, going 27-of-38 for 325 yards and 1 touchdown, including bulling into the end zone on a 2-point conversion run that started a comeback from an 11-point deficit with 11:13 left in the fourth quarter. It was a dramatic ending to a season in which Bachmeier was thrust into the starting QB role after starter Jake Retzlaff’s sudden departure for Tulane. Bachmeier became the first true freshman to start a season opener for the Cougars, and he closed the year with a 12-win season. — Dave Wilson
MVP: RB Godspower Nwawuihe
Nwawuihe, a freshman who was recruited to play quarterback for the Black Knights, got 12 carries Saturday and made them count, rushing for 171 yards and two touchdowns. Nwawuihe had a 43-yard touchdown run, the first of his career, to give Army the lead in the second quarter. Then, he opened the second half with a run up the middle in which he forced at least four missed tackles and ran for a 70-yard score. Not bad for a guy who had nine career carries for 25 yards entering the day. Army ran all over the Huskies with 368 rushing yards and 4 TDs on 6.6 yards per rush. Coach Jeff Monken’s squad lost five games by one-score margins this season but finished on a high note at Fenway Park with a 25-point victory over UConn, which went 9-4. — Olson
MVP: Trebor Pena
With points at a premium, Pena scored the first touchdown — a 73-yard reception early in the fourth quarter that helped Penn State finish the season with a bowl win after the in-season firing of coach James Franklin. Penn State won four straight to close the season, and the crowd at the end chanted interim coach Terry Smith’s name in appreciation. Pena had the biggest offensive highlight of the game, becoming the first Penn State player with five receptions, 100-plus yards receiving and a receiving touchdown in a bowl game since DaeSean Hamilton in the 2017 Fiesta Bowl against Washington. “We went out the right way,” Pena told ESPN Radio after the game. — Andrea Adelson
MVP: WR Anthony Smith
Smith had 4 catches for 156 yards and 2 touchdowns, and his 72-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter gave the Pirates the lead for good. It was Smith’s second game this season with 150 yards and two touchdowns. No other East Carolina player had done that even once in the previous two seasons. That 72-yard touchdown catch was the longest scrimmage touchdown Pitt allowed this season. It was also his eighth reception of 40 or more yards this season — third most of any Group of 5 player. His 156 receiving yards are the most for an American player in a bowl game since USF’s Randall St. Felix had 165 in 2018 against Marshall in the Gasparilla Bowl. — Adelson
MVP: RB Will Henderson III
With 1,000-yard rusher Robert Henry Jr. on the sidelines, second-year UTSA running back Henderson emerged as the offensive spark to the highest-scoring bowl performance to date in 2025 and the Roadrunners’ third bowl victory in as many years. All told, Henderson tallied 59 rushing yards on 14 carries (4.2 yards per attempt) in UTSA’s 57-20 win over Florida International, setting a program bowl game record with three total touchdowns. Henderson delivered a pair of rushing scores that bookended the Roadrunners’ 38-0 scoring run across the second and third quarters. But Henderson’s biggest moment came (technically) in the passing game when he turned a forward, reverse pitch into a 40-yard touchdown with 4:15 remaining before halftime. Per ESPN Research, those scores made Henderson the first player to record a rushing and a receiving touchdown in a game this bowl season, and it was his playmaking that helped vault UTSA to a fifth consecutive season of seven-plus wins under coach Jeff Traylor. — Eli Lederman
Rate Bowl: Minnesota 20, New Mexico 17
MVP: DL Anthony Smith
Smith finished with six tackles, four tackles for loss and two sacks as the Golden Gophers toppled New Mexico in overtime 20-17 on Jalen Smith’s game-ending diving touchdown grab. Smith became the first Minnesota defender to record at least four tackles for loss and two sacks in a game since William VanDeSteeg in 2006 against Michigan State, according to ESPN Research. His biggest play came in the fourth quarter, when he snuffed out New Mexico’s fake punt attempt near midfield for a big loss. Smith and linebacker Maverick Baranowski, who had a game-high 17 tackles and a sack, led the way in keeping New Mexico from scoring an offensive touchdown. — Jake Trotter
MVP: DB Braden Turner
Central Michigan turned the ball over on three consecutive snaps in the second quarter, clearing the way for Northwestern to rout the Chippewas 34-7. Turner ignited the turnover barrage with a diving, one-handed interception at the Central Michigan 29-yard line. The Wildcats scored three plays later to take a 7-0 lead. Northwestern then capitalized off back-to-back fumble recoveries to go up three touchdowns at halftime — the Wildcats’ largest lead in a bowl after one half in program history, according to ESPN Research. Turner, an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection this year, then put the game away in the third quarter, scooping up another Central Michigan fumble near midfield before racing in for the touchdown. — Trotter
MVP: QB Micah Alejado
After so much attention was placed on Cal’s Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele and his bowl homecoming, Alejado proved to be the best quarterback on the field Wednesday, engineering the largest comeback in Hawai’i Bowl history and tying the largest in Rainbow Warriors team history. Hawai’i erased a 21-0 deficit with six consecutive scoring drives. Although Alejado was not on the field for the game winner, as backup quarterback Luke Weaver delivered a 22-yard touchdown strike to Nick Cenacle with 10 seconds to play, he put Hawai’i in position with precision passing, brilliant decision-making and a fearless 12-yard run on third-and-10 from the Hawai’i 47-yard line. Alejado completed 14 consecutive passes midway through the game and finished with 274 passing yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions and 33 rushing yards. His perfectly placed 17-yard touchdown strike to a diving Brandon White gave Hawai’i its first lead with 7:19 to play. — Adam Rittenberg
MVP: RB Sieh Bangura
Ohio running back Sieh Bangura capped off a brilliant senior season with one of the finest games of his career. Bangura, who spent three seasons at Ohio, transferred to Minnesota for the 2024 season and then returned to Ohio, rushed for 149 yards on just 19 carries. His 23-yard touchdown run in the third quarter proved to be the winning score for the Bobcats, as they finished the season 9-4. It was Ohio’s seventh straight bowl win, which stands as the second-longest postseason winning streak in the country. — Kyle Bonagura
New Orleans Bowl: Western Kentucky 27, Southern Miss 16
MVP: QB Maverick McIvor
McIvor entered the New Orleans Bowl in the second half and provided a spark for the Hilltoppers, completing 12 of 19 passes for 199 passing yards and rushing for a touchdown — his first rushing score since the season opener. McIvor opened the season as the starter, but an injury to his non-throwing shoulder in October cut his regular season short. Even after he was cleared to return, Rodney Tisdale Jr. remained the starter. Coach Tyson Helton said in the lead-up to the bowl game that both quarterbacks would prepare as if they would start. After Tisdale threw for 65 yards and an interception in the first half, Helton turned to McIvor. And he delivered. — Adelson
MVP: RB Isaac Brown
Playing in his first game since Nov. 1, Brown rushed for 102 yards on 10 carries and scored two touchdowns, reminding people of what makes him one of the most dynamic backs in the country. Both touchdown runs came in the fourth quarter, when Louisville needed an offensive boost after struggling to put drives together consistently. His return to play was unknown until hours before kickoff, when he was seen warming up. Louisville was in the thick of the ACC race when Brown went down because of a lower leg injury. The Cardinals lost their final three conference games without him. Defensive end Clev Lubin deserves special mention as well for his standout performance with 7 tackles (4 solo), 1.5 sacks and 2 tackles for loss. — Adelson
MVP: QB Zevi Eckhaus
Granted, he had some “least valuable” moments on the day, too, thanks to three interceptions, but Wazzu cruised to a comfortable win over Utah State because of brilliant team defense — USU gained just 106 yards in the first three quarters — and some huge throws from Eckhaus. The senior QB completed passes to an incredible 12 different players and finished with 334 passing yards and three touchdowns, plus 51 non-sack rushing yards as well. Utah State tried to rally in the second half, but the Cougs’ offense wouldn’t let them: Eckhaus’ final TD pass, a 39-yarder to Landon Wright, all but sealed the deal. — Bill Connelly
MVP: LB Caden Fordham
The NC State linebacker made his final college game a very memorable one, helping the Wolfpack to their first bowl win since 2017. He was all over the field, especially during a dominant first half that essentially put the game out of reach. Fordham led NC State with 13 tackles, including 1.5 for loss. He assisted on a fourth-down stop of Memphis’ Frank Peeasant midway through the first quarter. Then, on the next Memphis series, Fordham intercepted a Brendon Lewis pass and raced 55 yards to the Tigers’ 3-yard line. Will Wilson scored two plays later as NC State took a three-touchdown lead. It was the second career interception for Fordham, a first-team All-ACC selection and third-team AP All-America selection, who led the team and ranked fifth nationally in tackles per game (10.8). — Rittenberg
Myrtle Beach Bowl: Western Michigan 41, Kennesaw State 6
MVP: RB Jalen Buckley
Can you win bowl MVP before the end of the first quarter? Buckley, a junior running back for Western Michigan who earned third-team All-MAC honors and won league championship game MVP honors, proved it was possible on the teal turf. He set the tone on the very first snap, scooting through a hole on the right side of the line for a 65-yard touchdown. Buckley added a 57-yard run later in the quarter to set up WMU’s fourth touchdown and also showed his effectiveness in short-yardage situations, converting a fourth-and-1 inside the Kennesaw State 10-yard line to set up another score. With several minutes left in the first quarter, Buckley was up to 172 yards on only seven carries, as WMU led 27-0. He added only one carry the rest of the way, turning things over to a defense that scored two touchdowns and received big performances from end Rodney McGraw (two forced fumbles, 2.5 sacks) and others. — Rittenberg
Xbox Bowl: Arkansas State 34, Missouri State 28
MVP: WR Corey Rucker
The Arkansas State sixth-year senior wide receiver became only the 24th player in FBS history to reach 4,000 career receiving yards. Rucker’s 71-yard touchdown reception — the second longest of his career, according to ESPN Research, which also put him over 4,000 — handed Arkansas State an early 14-0 lead. Despite the hot start, the Red Wolves still had to survive a late Missouri State rally, following a missed field goal attempt and series of costly penalties. Rucker finished with six receptions for 166 yards, as the Red Wolves prevailed 34-28 to win bowl games in consecutive years for the first time since 2012-13. — Trotter
MVP: RB Jo Silver
It was hardly a game of offensive fireworks, but in Delaware’s first season as an FBS program, the Blue Hens won a bowl thanks in large part to the explosiveness of Silver. His 61-yard run in the first half opened the scoring, and he finished with 116 yards on 14 carries. Silver’s success on the ground helped make up for a lackluster passing performance from a team that had led Conference USA in yards through the air. It was Silver’s second 100-yard game of the season. — David Hale
MVP: QB Quinn Henicle
Old Dominion moved to 10-3 on the season, and it did so without starting quarterback Colton Joseph.
Neither team had its regular QB1, but while USF’s reserves tossed four picks in the game, ODU’s Henicle did all he needed to win without making any critical miscues. Henicle finished with 127 passing yards, 107 more on the ground and a pair of touchdowns. — Hale
MVP: WR Deondre Johnson
After transferring from Rutgers in the offseason, the 6-foot-8 redshirt sophomore slowly became more integrated in the Jacksonville State offense as the season progressed and was a key player by the time the regular season ended. In the Gamecocks’ 17-13 win against Troy in the IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl, Johnson capped his strong second half of the season with another sparkling performance. He caught six passes for 101 yards and had another 40-plus yard reception negated due to offensive pass interference. Assuming he remains at Jacksonville State, Johnson figures to be one of the better receivers outside the Power 4 in college football next year. — Bonagura
MVP: QB Demond Williams Jr.
Washington quarterback Williams capped a strong sophomore season with an MVP performance in the Bucked Up LA Bowl, guiding the Huskies to a 38-10 win against Boise State. Williams completed 15 of 24 passes for 214 yards with 4 touchdown passes. Three of those scores came in the second quarter as Washington jumped out to a 24-3 halftime lead. Williams had brilliant moments throughout the season — but he was inconsistent — and again showed the type of talent that could make the Huskies a serious contender in the Big Ten next season. — Bonagura
MVP: WR Jordan Smith
Smith turned in one of the great Celebration Bowl performances to help South Carolina State overcome a 21-0 halftime deficit and beat Prairie View A&M 40-38 in quadruple overtime. Smith finished with nine receptions for 152 yards and a pair of scores to go along with five carries for 28 yards and another touchdown. His 10-yard receiving touchdown with two minutes left in regulation forced overtime as part of the Bulldogs’ 35-point second half. — Bonagura
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